Inside the past of the Berlin pride attacker killed after nationwide manhunt

The man suspected of carrying out the deadly attack at Berlin's Pride celebration was shot dead by police on Sunday, bringing a nationwide manhunt to an end and shifting attention to his criminal history and previous terror-related conviction.

The suspect, identified by German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt as 21-year-old Abdul Ballout, was a German citizen of Lebanese origin who was born and raised in Berlin. Authorities said he lived with his mother and three sisters in the city's Schoeneberg district, only a short distance from where the attack took place.

The weekend assault left one person dead and injured more than two dozen others.

Previous terror case

Court records show Ballout was convicted in May of preparing a serious act of violence threatening the state. He received a sentence of one year and 10 months under Germany's juvenile justice system.

Rather than being immediately imprisoned, the court placed him under probation supervision for six months while deferring a final decision on suspending the sentence. Prosecutors challenged the ruling, arguing that a longer sentence was warranted.

The court considered several mitigating factors while delivering its verdict, including Ballout's largely cooperative testimony, his claimed rejection of Islamic State and what it described as the absence of any immediate threat arising from his actions.

The prosecution's case alleged that Ballout had attempted to join Islamic State during 2025. Investigators said he shared banned Islamic State propaganda on Instagram on two occasions in June 2024 before making unsuccessful efforts to reach the militant group.

According to prosecutors, he first attempted to travel through Turkey to Mauritania. He later flew from Berlin to Lebanon in May 2025, allegedly intending to continue to Syria and join Islamic State. While in Lebanon, investigators said he communicated through Telegram with individuals he believed were members of the extremist organisation.

Lebanese authorities arrested him in July 2025, and a military court sentenced him to three months in prison on charges that included inciting religious and sectarian conflict.

After returning to Germany in November 2025, Ballout was arrested at Berlin Brandenburg Airport and remained in custody until his conviction earlier this year.

Earlier criminal offences

Ballout also had a criminal record dating back to 2022, when he was convicted under juvenile law for assault and robbery offences committed as a teenager.

Earlier this month, investigators searched his apartment in Berlin's Schoeneberg district as part of a weapons investigation. Prosecutors said officers recovered only a toy gun, leading authorities to close the case without further action.

Court documents describe Ballout as a practising Muslim who had followed the Shi'ite branch of Islam for several years, a decision that reportedly caused repeated disagreements with relatives who were predominantly Sunni Muslims.

The documents also state that he had been briefly married under Islamic law to a woman from Salzburg between 2023 and 2024. They further describe him as deeply religious, noting that he prayed five times a day and regularly attended Friday prayers.

German authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the Berlin Pride attack, including whether the suspect acted alone or had any outside support.

(With Reuters inputs)